05 Dec 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
by wind and camel’s hair caressed
a loud voice cries in wilderness
to homeless hearts
what did you come out to see?
crowded with expectancy
in restless desert
wonder how honey-dipped locusts taste?
wonder how to survive in this place?
ask shameless questions
watch and wait on wet line in sand
listen to ranting of wild man
young fearless prophet
the word calls hearers to repent
prepare the way by spirit sent
for helpless sinners
stand on brink of riverbank steep
wade out to where the water’s deep
hold breathless moment
messiah is here! raise your eyes
in holy sandals (yet untied)
steps our boundless hope
Linking to Laura Bloombury’s poetics on “less is more” at dVerse poets pub…
04 Dec 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
Carpe Diem Haiku Kai’s tan renga challenge to add 2 lines to this classic haiku…
old pond
a frog jumps in
sound of water
© Basho (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)
hear ker-ploosh of Basho’s frog
… haiku kai ripples outward
© lynn__
26 Nov 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
A memorial haibun on theme of gratitude for dVerse poets pub…
I keep precious photos and letters. They were in love. Mommy, a happy socialite, married handsome Navy pilot. Small town girl found fun living in big city. We shared a Valentine birthday. She doted on me, her firstborn. Our bond was tight but unraveled when asthma flared with another pregnancy and took her life’s breath. I wore her lace wedding dress and ring.
I hold dear memories and momentos. We needed love. Mom, a quiet beauty, married indebted widower. Farm girl (from same small town) found work in big city. We shared Daddy’s heart. She accepted me as her first child. Nightmares and tantrums threatened to unravel us but she patiently parented until we grew into love’s tight bond. She gave me the best brother and education.
My heart swells with gratitude for each mother’s unique and vital influence on my life. I carry both of them in my heart and thank God for graciously gifting me (twice) with a mother’s love!
lone tree uprooted
memories of former days
wood warms us by fire
19 Nov 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
Tags: alabaster, carousel, dishwasher, elbows, heartsong, love, work
she stares at him
elbows akimbo and
painfully pointed, as
white alabaster shall
shatter to tiny tinkling
shards of heartsong
he doesn’t notice,
yet if never, how it
feels to desire, aching
for words; arms bent
to work longer, those
urgent cows in kilts
piano sails fast clipper
lingers on guitar strum
dishwasher humming
wet wipers swish back
and forth; passengers
on dismal carousel ride
A free verse surrealistic poem for dVerse Poetics.
12 Nov 2019
by lynn__
in free verse, Uncategorized
Tags: author, conception, desire, heart, poem, words, writing
Linking to dVerse poets pub for Amaya’s challenge to “labor”…
as the product of
conception, a poem
begins with flicker
of flirty idea
which sparks a
burning desire that,
with heart unprotected,
climaxes in passion for
words, that are strung
together like double
helix into phrases
which multiply and
di-verse-i-fy,
connected by
rhythm and rhyme;
hid in warm darkness
until fully developed
and ready to be
edited, contracted,
squeezed through
narrow passage
’til finally, its
author, depleted
and relieved,
delivers another
helpless poem
into wide world
and, whether
birthed online
or hard copy,
whimpering
or wailing,
it comes
hoping to be
caught gently
by readers.
22 Oct 2019
by lynn__
in quote, Uncategorized, worship
Tags: apples, autumn, cornstalks, leaves, pumpkins, squirrel, tumbleweeds, wind
do you know what the earth meditates upon in autumn?
when north wind breathes fresh worship
over cornfield of heavy stalks bowed down
as ripe apples bless orchard with abundance
and tumbleweeds dance across rural road?
when crispy leaves gather in harvest pile
over rich soil fully yielded to waning sun
as pumpkins swell with orange-ribbed grace
and squirrel chatters praise for scattered nuts?
do you know what the earth meditates upon in autumn?
The beginning (and ending) question is from Pablo Neruda’s El Libro de las Preguntas.
06 Oct 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
drones hover and hum
flit above late summer crops
predator pilots
observe stealth landing
“what is it, grandma?” child asks
investigation
photo by lynn
30 Sep 2019
by lynn__
in haibun, Uncategorized
Tags: autumn, farm, grove, hope, insects, lawnmower, monarch
It’s haibun Monday at dVerse Poets where we’re writing about insects!
I bounce along, riding the lawnmower around our farm site. It’s windy and warm today…excellent weather for drying the crops for the imminent harvest. We’re glad for the silage we’ve already chopped for our livestock. Cows galumph toward the fence when I stop to toss the fallen apples I gathered for them.
While mowing in our grove, I am discouraged to note many trees show signs of stress. Both ash and spruce host invasive insects that bore into exposed spaces in their bark. An epidemic infestation across the nation appears to have arrived here. Time will tell if it’s lethal for these trees we planted many years ago and nurtured to a protective and glorious expanse.
While fretting about insects destroying our grove, I’m surprised by a singular monarch butterfly that flits ahead of me, leading the way. It flutters into my vision as I pass by again and again. Like a shimmer of hope, it gently clings to a leafy branch. Stunning creature with delicate legs and designer wings sent to lighten my mind in a moment of serendipity.
monarch messenger
flashes autumn’s joyful hues
arresting beauty
27 Sep 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
my life is a ripe pumpkin
connected to the earth
growing green from the
hard work of soil where
i put down roots to vine
out from the tender shoot
of youth into fruitful years,
orange and mellow with
graced blessings, full;
yet, intermingled with the
photo by lynn
seeds of good intentions
hidden inside me, ooze
slimy memories strung
with sticky emotions; sin.
i desire to be cleaned up,
hollowed out of my muck
and filled with radiant light;
though the carving might
be painful, i will wear a
genuine smile on my face,
aglow with true wisdom.
Linking to Bjorn’s metaphor challenge at dVerse Poets’ pub: “Meeting the Bar”. My poem’s theme inspired by children’s book: The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs.
26 Sep 2019
by lynn__
in rhyming verse, Uncategorized
Tags: bullies, bureaucracy, education, humpty dumpty, identity, kids
“I do not see the world at all; I invent it.” from The Diaries of Franz Kafka, 1910-1923. Link to dVerse poetics hosted by Amaya this week.
Beware the yellow school bus
with cheery windows bright
it threatens to take all of us
and re-educate us right!
Leave your mama & your papa
watch your family disappear
bureaucracy will dictate how
we spend each school year
Bullies learn from Darwin
it’s survival of the fittest
teachers hear from Kinsey
pedophiles are hippest
Identity is how you feel
(forget biology)
kick God out, he isn’t real
(fascist philosophy)
Unicorns and mermaids
rewrite history after all
fluff mis-education may
result in Humpty’s fall
Everyone’s a victim
disenchantment is the rule
let’s politicize the system
then send adults to school!
http://gph.is/1RzP2Mi
18 Sep 2019
by lynn__
in Uncategorized
desperate pilgrims
risked medieval roads and thieves
hoping to be saved
worst thief was catholic church
selling salvation for gold
Canterbury Tales
Not sure if church commentary is appropriate for a tanka but the true church of Christ should always be re-forming ourselves according to scripture.
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